The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 996

"Oh?"

Someone widened their eyes once they spotted Davey.

It was none other than Si-Woo.

He was a professional gamer still making waves in the industry, as well as someone Illyna occasionally played games with whenever she visited Earth.

Though their games seemed to take place far less often, as of late.

"Wow, it's been a while!"

Recognizing Davey, Si-Woo reached out and they shook hands.

Since he hadn't cast an especially strong face blindness spell, anyone familiar with him could still recognize him.

Of course, he could’ve cast a strong version of it, but why spend the time and effort?

"Si-Woo, this guy... he’s not who I think he is, is he?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s him."

Si-Woo chuckled.

"No way! I just met the most famous person in the world."

"You're not exactly a nobody yourself either.”

Si-Woo snickered as he spoke.

"Good to see you again, Princess Aeria.”

"A-Ah... N-Nice to meet you," Aeria stammered, clearly flustered.

"I heard rumors that you were visiting Earth on official business. What brings you here?"

His casual tone made Davey smile.

"We came for a date."

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Si-Woo blinked, then nodded.

"Ah... So we’re interrupting a good time, eh?”

He laughed.

"Actually, I was wondering how to give this to you."

Davey narrowed his eyes in response.

‘Huh? Why’s he acting so suspicious...?’

Si-Woo, however, just grinned and held out a paper bag containing four boxes.

"They’re mufflers. A couple’s set—four of them,” he said with a beaming smile.

‘Ah, a good guy after all.’

"Thanks. We’ll put them to good use."

"You healed my eyes, after all. I had to return the favor."

The person standing beside Si-Woo seemed completely lost, but Davey paid no mind.

"Oh, and this guy here—this is my cousin, Si-Hyun. He’s a year younger than me, but he’s actually a pretty famous artist."

"Famous is a bit of an overstatement. I’m just struggling to keep food on the table. Nice to meet you, I’m Si-Hyun."

As Davey reached out for a handshake, Si-Hyun hesitated for a moment, looking utterly starstruck.

"Wow... So this is the hand of the world's strongest individual."

Without hesitation, he blurted out something ridiculously embarrassing.

"By the way, what’s with the piano? Are you planning to play?"

"Oh, yeah. For Aeria."

Smiling softly, Davey ran his fingers lightly across the keys.

Whoever owned the piano, he could tell they had taken good care of it.

He then slowly pressed down a single key.

Satisfied by the well-tuned note, he sat down to play.

A few heads turned toward him, but he noticed not many were paying attention. After all, he hadn’t played anything yet.

"Oh? Is he about to play the piano?"

"Well, that’s probably why he sat down, don’t you think?”

"Hm. I didn’t know he could play."

Si-Hyun murmured in curiosity, but Davey barely noticed him.

‘What should I play...?’

"Aeria, do you have a request?"

"Um... If there's a piece you composed, I’d love to hear it."

"A song I composed...?”

Her eyes glittered with anticipation.

Davey knew that Aeria had always held a deep love for piano music.

Not the complex classical kind filled with intricate techniques, but something simple—a piece that was just pleasant to listen to.

"Wait a second—’composed?’ Si-Woo, did you know he could compose music?"

"Huh? No, I had no idea."

"Composing is seriously difficult... Now I’m really curious."

Si-Hyun stared at Davey with the intrigued expression of a fellow artist. But he quickly laughed as he heard what Davey played.

The first thing Davey started playing was not an original composition.

It was none other than the simple children’s song, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Davey deliberately started with something familiar—something easy. Simple enough and well-known on Earth, a song he had heard countless times in his past life.

It was a plain, simple melody—too modest, really, for someone sitting in the middle of the street playing for an audience. It was a sorely lacking solo performance.

But he didn’t care, and Aeria simply watched him in silence with a reddened face.

The onlookers started to give amused smiles, figuring they were watching a man trying his best to impress his girlfriend.

And just as the song neared its end, Davey placed his free left hand onto the keys.

At the same time, mana began flowing from his body, merging with the instrument.

With that infusion, everything started to change.

The music he had learned from Minstrel Hero Mute—the kind that touched people's hearts—began to unfold.

‘Alright... Let’s go with sadness.’

It was because Aeria had always gravitated toward sorrowful melodies.

He slowly played the keys.

The once lighthearted melody began to shift, what had started as a playful tune quickly transforming. The original melody remained, but it took on an entirely different form.

People who had passed by with amused smiles when he played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star now stopped in their tracks, turning to watch.

Davey infused the music with his emotions through mana.

The power of a minstrel wasn’t something that could be broken down into academic calculations. This was precisely why those who relied on logic could never truly master it.

With each keystroke, invisible waves rippled through the air, resonating with the surroundings. The nature spirits that had recently spread across Earth started to dance.

Faint luminescent dust spread outward, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Passersby watched him perform in a daze. Surprisingly, a few even took their phones out to record him.

They were captivated with awe.

Even if it was the same music, the sound waves Davey created reflected the emotions he infused into it.

It was something the modern listeners on Earth had likely never experienced before.

It wasn’t like he was performing some hypnosis. He simply took a note from passionate artists’ playbook, putting his soul and emotions into the music. He simply dove even deeper, focusing more on the very core of music.

Of course, even the smallest mistake could disrupt the flow, but in that moment, he was completely absorbed, his fingers moving across the keys.

As his musical piece built momentum, more and more people gathered.

The waves of the music magic simultaneously weakened the face blindness spell he had placed on himself. With so many people present perceiving his presence, a few even began recognizing him.

And then—

Coming to the end, he began to slow down. He lifted his hands from the keys and his foot from the pedal, only to look at Aeria, whose eyes were red-rimmed with emotion.

"When you first showed me the light, it was just like this," she said with a soft smile, stepping toward him.

Once Davey rose from his seat, she beamed with happiness and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you, Davey. Thank you for letting me experience the simple happiness I’ve always wished for."

Her words carried the weight of healing and growth, a sign that the pain of her friend’s death had eased, even if just a little.

"Hey... did he just compose that on the spot?"

"Huh? I don’t know much about music, but... yeah, I think so."

“...”

"Si-Woo! You gotta let me work with that guy! Just one project!"

Ignoring the murmurs, Davey took Aeria by the hand and pulled her into a slow dance.

A blue magic circle formed around them, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.

That evening, the reactions to his performance continued.

Illyna and Perserque, curiosity written all over their faces, playfully poked at his cheeks.

"What kind of music did you play to make her brag this much?"

Even Evangeline clung to him, along with Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, pouting as they whined.

"Daddy, we wanna hear it too!"

Aeria, who rarely boasted about anything, had spent the entire evening proudly recounting the moment.

Meanwhile, on Earth, a video was uploaded by an anonymous user.

- Saint of Tionis: A Street Performance for the Saintess.

The viewcount began skyrocketing at a terrifying rate.

* * *

“Woahhh!!!”

A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd of knights as a massive white humanoid rabbit stepped forward into the grand battle stadium.

Wearing nothing but a pair of black trousers, its bulging muscles rippled as it stretched its body. Then, it casually rested one arm on a table in the center, setting its elbow down and assuming position.

Its opponent arrived soon after.

A colossal minotaur, its body covered in starlight, walked forward with slow, deliberate steps.

The constellation Taurus.

“Brothers, show us your strength!! Prove the power and glory of your rigorously trained muscles!”

Once the booming cry of Great Orc Chief Tsu rang out, the two muscle giants slammed their right palms together before gripping the table with their free hands.

“I reinforced that table with alloy—it should be able to withstand most impacts, but...”

From the sidelines, Elders Goulda and Golgouda, the dwarven brothers, clicked their tongues.

“This whole damn territory is full of lunatics.”

“You’re one to talk, idiot.”

“So, who do you think will win, brother?”

"Hmm... What about you, Miss Elf?" they curiously asked the woman next to them.

“Oh my. Well, I prefer white, so I’ll bet on Killer Rabbit.”

“Then I’ll take the starry bull over there.”

Boom!!

A shockwave exploded from the center as the arm-wrestling match officially began.

“Wow!! This is amazing!!”

Technical Advisor Edison shouted as he downed his beer in a single gulp, his eyes gleaming with fiery excitement.

“Drink up, everyone! We don’t get to party like this every day, after all!”

His words ignited the stadium’s festive atmosphere. The citizens erupted in cheers, throwing themselves into a full-blown celebration.

[Heh... This is a fight I can’t afford to lose.]

With a smirk, Killer Rabbit flashed its crimson eyes.

Buooo...

At the same time, Taurus flexed its massive forearm, making its thick veins pulse with raw power.

"I, Monmider, am disappointed in you lazy knights. A day like this doesn’t mean we should let our guards down!"

In another corner of the arena, Monmider—a long-time protector of Heins Territory—was scolding the knights, his expression stern.

Boom!!

In the midst of the escalating tension, the two muscle-bound creatures flexed and strained their muscles to the point that their entire bodies swelled with throbbing veins.

A round-faced, white-furred rabbit and a bull constellation that resembled the night sky; their clash of strength only heightened the festival’s energy.

“...”

As Royal Attendant Bernile observed the festival, his gaze drifted across the crowd until it settled on another figure watching the festival from afar.

Amy, the individual who had been in charge of the territory for Davey.

She had turned into a legitimate noble after becoming a lady-in-waiting, unlike the daughters of mere baronial families.

In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to officially consider her as one of his vassals, though Davey would only fully establish the title as Grand Duke once he turned twenty.

She had dedicated herself to serving Davey for a long time, and he had developed an unwavering trust in her.

“What are you doing here?”

Someone interrupted his thoughts.

“Bespard?”

“It’s been a while, Bernile,” said Bespard, the Royal Attendant to the king.

He had a grizzled beard and a severe expression.

"What brings you here?" Bernile asked.

"A lot of things. I handed over my position to my successor and was told to go on vacation.”

“Are you... unwell?”

"No one can fight time forever."

Bespard chuckled.

It was almost unbelievable that this man was an object of fear among the royalty of the Rowane Kingdom.

“So... how is the position I recommended you for?”

Originally, Bernile had been a Royal Attendant to the king as well.

But due to certain circumstances, he had been pushed aside—until Bespard, his brother, personally pulled him back and assigned him to where he currently worked.

“At first, I only performed my duties with indifference.”

But over time, he had changed.

"However, Prince Davey is not like other royals. Mm. If I put it kindly, he’s... incredibly sociable. If I put it bluntly—"

"He’s too undignified for nobility."

Yet, despite his lack of noble refinement, Prince Davey remained untouchable.

He had unassailable power and ability. The Rowane Kingdom shared in his fortune, going through an unprecedented boom due to his efforts.

Davey not only managed to recover the immense financial losses caused by the fight of the Boltis royal family, but also opened up international trade routes, generating massive revenue for the kingdom. And that wealth, collected in the form of taxes, was now flowing straight into the royal treasury.

With the current state of things, the losses of opposing him far outweighed any potential gains. No one dared to move against him anymore.

Even the nobles who had once scoffed at the idea of buying the royal family's safety with mere money had no choice but to stay silent. The sheer amount of gold pouring into the treasury was simply too great to refuse.

"But over time... things started to feel different," Bernile murmured.

Watching Amy learn and grow, helping Davey lead his territory—not always in an idealistic way, but always striving for an ideal—had changed something in him.

He had witnessed Davey handling the mistakes of his subordinates not with rage, but with patience, giving them second chances and guiding them with thoughtful feedback.

"It made me want to do better," he admitted. "I couldn't afford to be an incompetent Royal Attendant while serving a man like that."

Royal Attendant Bespard let out a hearty laugh.

"His Majesty certainly changed after waking from his coma. So drastic, almost as if he had lived for centuries in another world."

Then, with a knowing look, he added, "But if we’re being frank, wasn't it actually that girl who softened your heart in the end?"

Amy.

The pure-hearted girl.

"You know she spent almost six years serving His Highness after being demoted, don’t you?"

"Yes, Brother."

"For five years and eight months, she looked after him all by herself."

It was only after those long years that Davey had hired other attendants, ladies-in-waiting, servants, and maids to do the myriad jobs she had been juggling all at once.

"She's grown to be like a granddaughter to me."

Though they weren’t related by blood, as he had guided her over the years, she had become precious to him.

"She's at the age where she should be looking for a partner that’ll stay by her side. Yet, she still doesn’t seem interested in that at all."

"Marriage is a major life decision," Bespard replied. "She can’t be pushed into it.”

"Which is why I’ve been wondering. Could it be... that Amy has feelings for His Highness?"

If that were true, then everything made sense—her unwavering loyalty, her refusal to marry, her relentless efforts to support Davey.

"If she truly has feelings for him...”

"Do you really believe that?" Bespard cut in.

"From what I’ve seen, it seems like the most reasonable conclusion. Amy has been by His Highness’s side for so long. And since His Highness doesn’t care about status, there wouldn’t be an issue if he accepted her."

No one would dare object.

That might've been true in the past, but things were different now.

"It’s too late."

Perserque had already accepted the women Davey once harbored feelings for. To do anything beyond that would be disrespecting her kindness.

That was why Davey had since drawn a firm line with everyone.

"If Amy truly does love His Highness..."

"Bernile."

Bespard cut him off, glancing toward Amy who stood in the distance, silently watching couples pass by.

"You’re wrong."

"What?"

"Amy..." Bespard sighed, rubbing his temple. "She doesn’t have feelings for him.”

Bernil furrowed his brow.

‘Then what is it? What drove her to such unwavering devotion?’

Just as the question formed in his mind, Bespard gave the answer, dropping a bombshell that made everything clear.

"It’s guilt. Or perhaps... repentance."

Bernile stiffened.

‘Repentance?’

That word was used to describe a person seeking redemption for a past mistake.

Bernile turned to Bespard, confused, before the older man let out a weary sigh.

"I didn’t know at first, either," he admitted. "It took me about three years to figure it out. She was brought down to be planted by his side from the very beginning.”

Bernile widened his eyes.

‘Why would a young girl like her...?’

“But why...?”

"The baroness—Amy’s mother—was once a lady-in-waiting. You’re aware, right?”

"Yes, how could I not be? Amy has become like a granddaughter to me. I even intend to name her as my successor."

"Then... Do you know this? That woman once poisoned the tea of the lady she served."

Bernile widened his eyes in shock.